Red Menace: Stop the Ug99 Fungus Before Its Spores Bring Starvation | Magazine: "Stem rust is the polio of agriculture, a plague that was brought under control nearly half a century ago as part of the celebrated Green Revolution. After years of trial and error, scientists managed to breed wheat that contained genes capable of repelling the assaults of Puccinia graminis, the formal name of the fungus.
But now it’s clear: The triumph didn’t last. While languishing in the Ugandan highlands, a small population of P. graminis evolved the means to overcome mankind’s most ingenious genetic defenses. This distinct new race of P. graminis, dubbed Ug99 after its country of origin (Uganda) and year of christening (1999), is storming east, working its way through Africa and the Middle East and threatening India and China. More than a billion lives are at stake. “It’s an absolute game-changer,” says Brian Steffenson, a cereal-disease expert at the University of Minnesota who travels to Njoro regularly to observe the enemy in the wild. “The pathogen takes out pretty much everything we have.”"
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In case you were running out of things to worry about...
Friday, March 19, 2010
Russia: Stray Dogs Master Complex Moscow Subway System - ABC News
Russia: Stray Dogs Master Complex Moscow Subway System - ABC News
This is pretty amazing--it is at the start of the 7 minute segment and well worth watching.
This is pretty amazing--it is at the start of the 7 minute segment and well worth watching.
Computer snafu is behind at least 50 'raids' on Brooklyn couple's home
Computer snafu is behind at least 50 'raids' on Brooklyn couple's home: "Embarrassed cops on Thursday cited a 'computer glitch' as the reason police targeted the home of an elderly, law-abiding couple more than 50 times in futile hunts for bad guys."
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If you live in New York, this is your tax dollars at work.
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If you live in New York, this is your tax dollars at work.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
More homeowners are opting for 'strategic defaults' - latimes.com
More homeowners are opting for 'strategic defaults' - latimes.com: "Time was when Americans would do almost anything to hang on to their homes. But that commitment appears to be fraying as more people fall behind on their loans while watching the banks and lenders that helped trigger the financial crisis return to prosperity.
Nearly one-quarter of U.S. mortgages, or about 11 million loans, are 'underwater,' i.e. the houses are worth less than the balance of their loans. While home values are regaining ground -- median prices rose 10% in Southern California last month to $275,000 compared with a year earlier -- they remain far below the July 2007 peak of $505,000.
Many homeowners are just coming to grips with the idea that prices will take years to reach the pre-crash peak: as long as 14 years in California, according to economist Chris Thornberg."
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Fourteen years? For a baby boomer that is just way. Too. Long.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link and for pointing out that anybody who is strategically defaulting on their mortgage has already strategically defaulted on their HOA/condo assessments as well. The rocky times continue.
Nearly one-quarter of U.S. mortgages, or about 11 million loans, are 'underwater,' i.e. the houses are worth less than the balance of their loans. While home values are regaining ground -- median prices rose 10% in Southern California last month to $275,000 compared with a year earlier -- they remain far below the July 2007 peak of $505,000.
Many homeowners are just coming to grips with the idea that prices will take years to reach the pre-crash peak: as long as 14 years in California, according to economist Chris Thornberg."
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Fourteen years? For a baby boomer that is just way. Too. Long.
Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link and for pointing out that anybody who is strategically defaulting on their mortgage has already strategically defaulted on their HOA/condo assessments as well. The rocky times continue.
Bad math wrongly IDs lagging schools | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, Vermont
Bad math wrongly IDs lagging schools | The Burlington Free Press | Burlington, Vermont: "Two Vermont schools were mistakenly included in a list of the state’s “persistently lowest achieving schools” released last week, and two others have taken their place, an apologetic Vermont Department of Education announced Tuesday...The revision was prompted by an error in calculation used to rank the schools on the basis of standardized test results. The mistake was noticed Friday by a department staff member and made public Tuesday after a Free Press inquiry into possible miscalculations."
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The nation's public schools have reached the point of self-parody.
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The nation's public schools have reached the point of self-parody.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
C-Span Puts Its Full Archives on the Web - NYTimes.com
C-Span Puts Its Full Archives on the Web - NYTimes.com: "WASHINGTON — Researchers, political satirists and partisan mudslingers, take note: C-Span has uploaded virtually every minute of its video archives to the Internet."
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The Onion should have written that headline. Can you imagine watching 23 years of the House of Representatives in session? Dante could have had that on big screen TV in the inner circle of Hell.
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The Onion should have written that headline. Can you imagine watching 23 years of the House of Representatives in session? Dante could have had that on big screen TV in the inner circle of Hell.
Monday, March 15, 2010
House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it
House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it: "After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might instead attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.
Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would instead vote on a more popular measure that presumes the health-care bill has passed the chamber."
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Why? Because there might be somebody someplace who still believes that the United States Congress is one of the world's greatest legislative bodies, and it is important to crush that person's faith like a paper cup.
Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would instead vote on a more popular measure that presumes the health-care bill has passed the chamber."
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Why? Because there might be somebody someplace who still believes that the United States Congress is one of the world's greatest legislative bodies, and it is important to crush that person's faith like a paper cup.
America's Craziest Cities - The Daily Beast
America's Craziest Cities - The Daily Beast: "Move over, Las Vegas. After two years of national doldrums, crazy is on the rise again. From shrinks to drinks, The Daily Beast tallies who’s handling their stress—and who’s losing it."
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No way Chicago should rank so low. And LA is even lower. I protest.
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No way Chicago should rank so low. And LA is even lower. I protest.
Jim Jubak: Is China broke? Hidden debt burdens Asia giant - MSN Money
Jim Jubak: Is China broke? Hidden debt burdens Asia giant - MSN Money: "All governments lie about their finances. At worst, as in Greece and the United States, the lies are bold and transparent. Everybody knows the emperor has no clothes, but no one want to say so. At best, as in Canada and China, the lies are more subtle -- more like a magician's misdirection than a viking raider's ax. Look at these great numbers, the lie goes, but don't look at those up my sleeve.
There's a good argument to be made that if you look at all the numbers, instead of just the ones the budget magicians want you to see, China is indeed broke."
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Are there any governments that are not broke?
There's a good argument to be made that if you look at all the numbers, instead of just the ones the budget magicians want you to see, China is indeed broke."
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Are there any governments that are not broke?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Police: Man Drunk At DUI Sentencing - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha
Police: Man Drunk At DUI Sentencing - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha: "PAPILLION, Neb.--Authorities said a drunken driver showed up for his sentencing hearing drunk again. Jason Botos, 30, was driven to court by his father and investigators said he was so drunk that he had to be helped inside and wasn't able to make his court appearance. 'He was unable to get himself out of the vehicle, he was so intoxicated,' said deputy Sarpy County attorney Ben Perlman."
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But he gets points for showing up, right?
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But he gets points for showing up, right?
The American Conservative » Sprawling Misconceptions
The American Conservative » Sprawling Misconceptions: "For the 101st time: sprawl — an umbrella term for the pattern of development seen virtually everywhere in the United States — is not caused by the free market. It is, rather, mandated by a vast and seemingly intractable network of government regulations, from zoning laws and building codes to street design regulations. If Stossel wants to expand Americans’ lifestyle choices, he should attack the very thing he was defending, namely, suburban sprawl.
It’s odd that self-described libertarians such as Stossel are so slow to grasp that government planning makes sprawl ubiquitous. You would think that libertarians would instinctively grasp the deeply statist nature of suburban development."
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Libertarian John Stossel thinks (scroll down to his pet peeve #2) that the market created sprawl. Here is a different take on it--government policies are largely responsible for the way people live in suburbia--something that I have been saying for a long time. Seems that some conservatives don't buy the libertarian magic beans.
It’s odd that self-described libertarians such as Stossel are so slow to grasp that government planning makes sprawl ubiquitous. You would think that libertarians would instinctively grasp the deeply statist nature of suburban development."
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Libertarian John Stossel thinks (scroll down to his pet peeve #2) that the market created sprawl. Here is a different take on it--government policies are largely responsible for the way people live in suburbia--something that I have been saying for a long time. Seems that some conservatives don't buy the libertarian magic beans.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Court sides with homeowner in dispute over pickup
Court sides with homeowner in dispute over pickup: "A.J. Vizzi has lived in The Eagles golfing community in northwestern Hillsborough County since he built a two-story house on a lake in 1997. For a few years, he parked his pickup in the driveway and didn't hear anything negative about it.
That all changed in 2001, when he said he received a violation notice from his homeowners association. 'Up until 2001, I was here for four years before they ever even told me I was in violation of any of their covenants,' said Vizzi."
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The circuit court ruled in Vizzi's favor. So did the court of appeal. Congratulations! I see the HOA's attorney, Jonathan Ellis of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick in Tampa, was unavailable for comment. I wonder if they will try to take it to the Florida Supreme Court. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
That all changed in 2001, when he said he received a violation notice from his homeowners association. 'Up until 2001, I was here for four years before they ever even told me I was in violation of any of their covenants,' said Vizzi."
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The circuit court ruled in Vizzi's favor. So did the court of appeal. Congratulations! I see the HOA's attorney, Jonathan Ellis of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick in Tampa, was unavailable for comment. I wonder if they will try to take it to the Florida Supreme Court. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
New round of foreclosures threatens housing market - washingtonpost.com
New round of foreclosures threatens housing market - washingtonpost.com: "The housing market is facing swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but have yet to lose their homes, and this is threatening a new wave of foreclosures that could hit just as the real estate market has begun to stabilize."
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"Seriously delinquent" as in "haven't made a mortgage payment in three months or more." We are getting close to 10% of all US mortgages falling in that category, folks. And from where I sit here in bankrupt Illinois, the job losses are mounting.
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"Seriously delinquent" as in "haven't made a mortgage payment in three months or more." We are getting close to 10% of all US mortgages falling in that category, folks. And from where I sit here in bankrupt Illinois, the job losses are mounting.
Bankruptcy Won't Work!
Bankruptcy Won't Work!
Tyler Berding and Sandra Bonato explain why members get no protection when the association goes under.
Tyler Berding and Sandra Bonato explain why members get no protection when the association goes under.
HOAs suffer during recession - Las Vegas Sun
HOAs suffer during recession - Las Vegas Sun: "Foreclosures are taking a toll on some Las Vegas homeowner associations, some of which are closing pools and deferring maintenance as they deal with a drop in revenue.
The financial woes faced by the associations come as they are locked in legal and legislative battles with investors in foreclosed homes who complain they are overcharged for fines and fees by the associations and their collection agencies."
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to another story about hard times in Privatopia.
The financial woes faced by the associations come as they are locked in legal and legislative battles with investors in foreclosed homes who complain they are overcharged for fines and fees by the associations and their collection agencies."
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Thanks to Fred Pilot for this link to another story about hard times in Privatopia.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Half of Kansas City's schools to close by fall
Half of Kansas City's schools to close by fall: "The school board narrowly approved the plan Wednesday night to close 29 of the district's 61 schools to try to stave off bankruptcy. The closures have angered many parents, students and teachers, but administrators say they had no choice because without them, the district would have been in the red by 2011."
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It seems that this is not a scare tactic, like the Illinois governor's proposed teacher-firing budget. This appears to be real.
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It seems that this is not a scare tactic, like the Illinois governor's proposed teacher-firing budget. This appears to be real.
U.S. Sales Tax Rates Hit Record High - Forbes.com
U.S. Sales Tax Rates Hit Record High - Forbes.com: "While President Obama's push to raise federal income taxes for the wealthy gets lots of attention, the continuing upward creep in the sales tax rates imposed by state and local governments has gotten less notice.
But Vertex Inc., which calculates sales tax for Internet sellers, reports that the average general sales tax rate nationwide reached 8.629% at the end of 2009, the highest since the Berwyn, Pa., company started tracking data in 1982. That was up a nickel on a taxable $100 purchase from a year earlier and up nearly 40 cents for the decade. The highest sales tax rate in the country now stands at 12%."
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Here in Illinois the governor proposed yesterday to raise it from a flat 3% to a flat 4%. He called it an education surcharge or something, but it's an income tax hike. The key to understanding this is to stack up all the taxes people pay in a given state. And as we all know, you also need to add on the amount they pay in assessments to their CID if any, because that is really a disguised tax in most cases.
But Vertex Inc., which calculates sales tax for Internet sellers, reports that the average general sales tax rate nationwide reached 8.629% at the end of 2009, the highest since the Berwyn, Pa., company started tracking data in 1982. That was up a nickel on a taxable $100 purchase from a year earlier and up nearly 40 cents for the decade. The highest sales tax rate in the country now stands at 12%."
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Here in Illinois the governor proposed yesterday to raise it from a flat 3% to a flat 4%. He called it an education surcharge or something, but it's an income tax hike. The key to understanding this is to stack up all the taxes people pay in a given state. And as we all know, you also need to add on the amount they pay in assessments to their CID if any, because that is really a disguised tax in most cases.
6 of the 10 richest counties in U.S. are in DC area | Washington Examiner
6 of the 10 richest counties in U.S. are in DC area | Washington Examiner:
"America's 25 richest counties
Rank County Population Median household income
1 Loudoun County 277,433 $110,643
2 Fairfax County 1,005,980 $106,785
3 Howard County 272,412 $101,710
4 Hunterdon County, N.J. 129,000 $100,947
5 Somerset County, N.J. 321,589 $100,207
6 Fairfax City 23,281 $98,133
7 Morris County, N.J. 486,459 $97,565
8 Douglas County, Colo. 270,286 $97,480
9 Arlington County 204,889 $96,390
10 Montgomery County 942,747 $93,999"
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It would seem that being close to DC is good for your pocketbook.
"America's 25 richest counties
Rank County Population Median household income
1 Loudoun County 277,433 $110,643
2 Fairfax County 1,005,980 $106,785
3 Howard County 272,412 $101,710
4 Hunterdon County, N.J. 129,000 $100,947
5 Somerset County, N.J. 321,589 $100,207
6 Fairfax City 23,281 $98,133
7 Morris County, N.J. 486,459 $97,565
8 Douglas County, Colo. 270,286 $97,480
9 Arlington County 204,889 $96,390
10 Montgomery County 942,747 $93,999"
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It would seem that being close to DC is good for your pocketbook.
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